really scared?

hi everyone, been reading the boards for awhile now, looking for any advise and what not, and alot of it has been helpful, but still left with a couple of questions.. here's the situation, as best as i can describe..(sorry if it gets too long)

im 24 years old, and need all of my teeth pulled (23 of them..yikes). i have been on prozac for at least 2 years to control anxiety-panic disorder.. anyway, my teeth are just rotting away, alot of them have holes and have pieces that have fallen off..etc. I talked to an oral surgeon awhile back when i had 2 teeth pulled and she said that i would definately need to get dentures, and that if i was admitted as an outpatient in the hospital the bill would be covered by my medical.. so i called back, and talked to the secretary who insisted that they dont accept any kind of medical like i have, and that i "must" have been thinking of a different office. So that basically leaves that option out.. So now, the only oral surgeon i found who takes my medical is about an hour/hour and 1/2 drive away from me..and also someone i know nothing about. However i am in alot of pain and would like to be pain free asap, but worried about not knowing the doctor, and also about undergoing general anesthesia..
I have gone under once before, but it was awhile back, when i was like 14 and didnt have the whole anxiety-panic thing. only problem i had was the nausea/vomiting afterwards.
So..basically, is general anesthesia a good route to take for someone like me who has anxiety-panic disorder? And is it safe to go under if you smoke?
Also, does anyone know of anywhere i could possibly get others feedback or anything about the oral surgeon that i have no clue about other than his name and location?
One more thing, and then im done.. i really am sorry for making this so long, but im a bit worried, although most of everyones posts here have calmed my nerves a bit. Anyways.. the last thing for now.. Anyone who has had all their teeth pulled could you please respond and explain to me about any pain/side effects/etc.. with your procedure. It really would mean alot to me as i am quite prone to worrying, and i know reading other peoples experiences will help me along.
Thank you everyone.. Sorry this is so long.

Well I dont have a panic disorder but I do have OCD and stress over things to the point of obsession if that makes sense. I dont do needles and my dentist is a wonderful man. Great oral surgeon.

I know that you must be in extreme pain. I would call and see if the dental board in your state can direct you to where you can find out the doctors schooling and such.
Ask some friends, family and coworkers if they have ever heard of him.
From what I understand, in order for medical insurance to cover any dental procedures they have to be in a medical facility, and it needs to be a medical reason for the work. For example, in my case that you can read about in other posts my extractions and surgery was done in a hospital and by a maxillofacial surgeon, an orthodontic surgeon, orthopedic surgeon and my oral surgeon/Dentist. I also have my GP and an insurance assigned GP doctor on my team.
My extraction surgery and hospital bills were paid for by medical insurance. My dentures and implants are being covered by dental insurance.
You will be in pain when either the novicaine wears off or you wake up from the IV sedation, but it at least, is a pain that will go away. Right now your pain can only get worse and cause even more health issues. The dentist will give you a prescription for pain meds for the first few days. Since you only have 23 teeth you have had extractions before 9 to be exact. It is really no different.
The immediates will take some getting use to and as the swelling of your gums goes down you will need to go back and have them relined. You will get sores from them, but they are only temporary also.

Thank you for your reply..I too have a severe disliking for needles.. Mostly because i had a 30 day hospital stay, and during that time i had about 15 IV's (they had to change it's location every few days because of something) eventually they ran out of places to move it and i had to have a neck IV inserted, that was horrible.. back to the subject... i have looked up this oral surgeon online and from what it seems like has the proper schooling and what not. Also the denture place i was looking into accepts my medical so my dentures, etc..would be covered.. Should you always be admitted to the hospital to have IV Sedation? Or can this be done at the surgeons office? All of my teeth that have been pulled before have been done with Novicaine at the office, although the last time i had novicaine to numb me it didnt work for some reason, he started and all i could feel was pain, Plus i had problems with the one tooth he pulled, said the tooth had 2 roots..? which i have never heard of. And i ended up getting dry socket in that one.. I think maybe thats where my worry is coming from, im afraid that im going to have problems after the extractions.

I would be a little nervous going to see a dentist also if I had a bad experience such as yours. That is normal.
I was admitted to the hospital because I needed to have emergency surgery to remove portions of my jawbone that had a severe infection destroying them. My teeth were removed because the jawbone that held them there is now gone. I have had all the reconstructive surgeries except the implants to support the bottom denture already. I will begin the top in a few months. I want to take a break and give my face a rest, but we will see after this implant surgery is done on the 2nd of Aug.

From what I have been able to tell, only one other person I know has ever had this done in the hospital. That person had a severe absess on the right side of her face, her teeth were all severely decayed, and she was in alot of pain. She went to the emergency room at the county hospital, because she has no insurance and she herself was unemployed they deemed she needed to have her teeth removed for medical reasons. They did not give her dentures afterwards. But they did help her find financial help so she could get some. Took a long time though.
I am having my implant procedure at my oral surgeons office. I believe that is were most of the people on here have had theirs done also. Some dentists and I think all oral surgeons can do IV sedation in their offices.

Try and call the office and just set up a check up type of visit. No work, just maybe xrays, second opinion thing. Tell the oral sugeon your fears, and see how you feel about it afterwards.

Dont keep putting it off, you could cause some serious health issues by not having this done and be in even more pain.

One last thing.. You mentioned serious health issues.. Could you please explain any of these that could possibly happen? Just curious, there doesn;t seem to be alot of topics about these problems, and im just curious as to what all could happen. Thanks.

Hello, I had all my teeth pulled and immediates placed but not under sedation, just under a local. All I can tell you is about the pain level aftrewards. I had local and it wore off about 3 hours after the surgery. I still had bleeding(normal) and when it first wore off, i was in a bit of pain9about a 7 on 1-10) but I popped a motrin and within 20 minutes it was gone. After that, I was in pain abit(about a 4 or 5) for a few days, but it was more sore than real pain(?). You will get some mouth sores which are completely normal. Overall I would do it again in a heartbeat! The pain you get afterwards for me was not nearly what kind of pain I was in before the procedure. Personally, I have a bit of panic myself and would prefer not to go under. Also if finances are a consideration, it is ALOT more to go under rather than just getting the local. If you have any questions, post them...everyone here is great and helpful!!!!!
Kerri